Tantavi (Çamlıca), Ümraniye — Istanbul, Asian side

Sur Yapı Exen İstanbul: Letting and Valuations

Exen İstanbul is an established Sur Yapı complex of 1,038 homes on the Çamlıca foothills — a 44-storey tower and seventeen lower blocks, and one of the projects we work: we know its blocks, layouts and tenant profile from the valuation work we carry out here. If you own a unit, we can give you a realistic rent and sale figure the same day; if you are looking to rent, tell us your criteria and we will flag matching units as they enter the portfolio.

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What you should know about the project

Exen İstanbul was developed by Sur Yapı in Tantavi, Ümraniye, on the foothills of Çamlıca, and delivered in phases through 2012–2013: a roughly 160-metre, 44-storey tower (F Blok, 491 units) plus 547 homes in seventeen lower blocks of 8–15 floors — 1,038 residences in all, with shops at ground level. The tower is mixed-use, combining residences with serviced-office floors, and the project took the five-star "Best Residential" title in the High-Rise Development category at the Europe Property Awards in London in 2014.

What holds its value is that the complex is settled: a 6,000 m² lake and amphitheatre at the heart of the landscaping, indoor and outdoor pools, a 3,500 m² indoor sports complex, tennis and basketball courts — and, in the tower, a residents-only club on the 27th floor with its own pool, gym and sauna. Reception, valet and concierge services give the tower a genuine residence standard. After more than a decade of occupation there is no "new project" uncertainty here: management, service charges and the tenant profile are long established.

The location converts directly into tenant demand: the Ümraniye station of the M5 metro (Üsküdar–Samandıra line) is in the same neighbourhood, within walking distance, and the connector roads to both Bosphorus bridges (15 Temmuz and FSM) are close by car. Ümraniye's large training-and-research hospital is about a kilometre away and İstanbul 29 Mayıs University is in the immediate area — hospital staff, university students and Asian-side professionals are the three main tenant veins, and the serviced offices in the tower add corporate traffic of their own.

One naming trap worth clearing up, especially if you bought from abroad: your title deed may say "Atatürk Mahallesi", while the listing portals file this project under the neighbourhood's current name, "Tantavi Mahallesi" (sahibinden.com labels it "Atatürk (Tantavi) Mah."). They are the same place. The portals' separate "Ümraniye Atatürk Mahallesi" statistics describe the market-street side of the district, not this complex — do not price your unit off that average. And note that Exen Konakları, across the road, is a separate and newer project by the same developer; keep the two apart when comparing listings.

Own an apartment at Exen İstanbul?

We know the tower's and the low-rise blocks' separately behaving markets, the gross-to-net gap by layout and the tenant profile this complex draws — first-hand, from the valuation work we carry out in the project. We handle the free valuation, professional photo and video shoot, boosted listings on our sahibinden.com store and tenant pre-screening; our fee only arises when a letting or sale actually completes. If you live abroad, the entire process — valuation, marketing, lease and rent — can run remotely.

What sets the price of an Exen İstanbul apartment?

There is no single "Exen average", because the tower and the low-rise blocks are not the same market. When two units of the same layout rent differently, the reason is almost always one of these four:

  • Tower or low-rise — and which floor? In the tower, floor and view set the rent: high floors with the open outlook towards the Bosphorus, combined with the 27th-floor club, price above their low-rise equivalents. In the horizontal blocks, aspects over the lake and landscaping lead instead.
  • The gross-to-net gap. A typical tower 2+1 is marketed at 139 m² gross but nets around 100 m². Listings are written in gross; tenants judge in net. A price built on the gross figure collapses at the first viewing and the listing goes stale.
  • Kitchen and bathroom age, and furnishing. In a 2012–2013 complex, an original-delivery kitchen and a refitted one do not command the same rent. This complex's tenant profile — professionals who want the move done quickly — pays a clear premium for furnished, air-conditioned units.
  • The aidat (service charge). Residence amenities come with a residence aidat, and the tower's runs differently from the low-rise blocks'. Tenants budget on rent plus aidat as one number; pricing as if the aidat were invisible is the most common reason even a well-kept unit sits unlet.

Where to see current levels

This page quotes no "rents here are about X" figure — that would just copy asking prices off the portals rather than tenancies that actually signed, and the four points above are exactly why the neighbourhood average misrepresents this complex. What we can say: in a fully sold, settled complex the number of units listed for rent at any moment is always small, and a correctly priced apartment does not wait long in that thin supply. Send the block, floor, aspect and condition and we will give you a realistic, unit-specific range the same day — the valuation is free.

Before you set a price yourself: mark honestly where your unit stands on the four points, think in net square metres rather than gross, and put the aidat inside the tenant's budget. Skipping those means months of vacancy or a year of under-renting — one empty month costs roughly 8% of the annual rent.

Our terms are in writing from day one — no surprises later

  • No upfront fees. Valuation, professional shoot, listing and marketing included. A fee arises only when your property is actually let or sold.
  • No exclusivity clause. If you decide not to continue, you simply stop; nothing is owed up to that point.
  • You stay in control. You grant the listing authorisation yourself through e-Devlet and can withdraw it at any time. How it works
  • Same-day reply. We answer every message the same day — from any time zone.

Verify us: Real Estate Trading Licence No 3417413 — look it up in the Ministry of Trade's TTBS registry. In Istanbul since 2018.

Frequently Asked

Exen İstanbul — frequently asked

Where is Exen İstanbul, and which neighbourhood do the portals file it under?

The complex is in Ümraniye, on the Çamlıca foothills. The neighbourhood's current name is Tantavi; older title deeds may say "Atatürk Mahallesi", and sahibinden.com files the project under "Atatürk (Tantavi) Mah." — all the same place. The M5 metro's Ümraniye station is within walking distance, and the connector roads to both Bosphorus bridges are close by car.

When was it delivered, and what is the profile?

Developed by Sur Yapı and delivered in phases through 2012–2013: a 44-storey mixed-use tower (F Blok) and seventeen lower blocks of 8–15 floors — 1,038 homes in all. Indoor and outdoor pools, a 3,500 m² indoor sports complex, a lake at the centre of the grounds and a residents-only club on the tower's 27th floor; the project took the five-star "Best Residential" title at the 2014 Europe Property Awards.

Do you currently have listings inside Exen İstanbul?

Our portfolio changes constantly — the portfolio page shows the live state. If nothing is listed inside the complex at the moment, describe what you are looking for on WhatsApp and we will let you know when a matching unit enters the portfolio. If you own a unit here, the valuation is free regardless.

I live abroad — can you really run the whole letting remotely?

Yes. Marketing needs only the key, collected from someone you trust locally, plus your written authorisation. If we are to sign the lease on your behalf, you grant a power of attorney at a Turkish consulate or notary, and we guide you through that appointment by phone, translation included. Rent legally flows through a bank: either straight into your Turkish account, or collected by us under the power of attorney and transferred to you with statements.

What do apartments at Exen İstanbul rent and sell for?

A single "complex average" would mislead: the tower and the low-rise blocks are separate markets — floor and view lead in the tower, aspect and condition in the blocks — and the gross-to-net gap and the aidat both move the number. So we give the figure for your unit rather than for the page: send the block, floor, aspect and condition, and you will have a realistic range the same day, free.

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